Electro-conductive carbon nanofibers as the promising interfacial biomaterials for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Electro-conductive nanomaterials are promising interfacial platforms to manipulate and electrically stimulate electroresponsive cells for tissue engineering proposes. The present study aimed to fabricate electro-conductive electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNFs) to be used as the substrate for bone cells electrical stimulation. The CNFs were derived from electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers by a two steps heat treatment, stabilization and carbonization. The seeded CNFs with Mg-63 cells (SCNFs) were exposed to DC electrical fields with the current intensities of 10, 50, 100, and 200 μA. COMSOL Multiphysics software was used to simulate the applied DC electric field applied in the fabricated electrical stimulation chamber in the presence of the SCNFs. The simulation study confirmed the efficacy of the fabricated electrical stimulation set-up. The growth of the seeded cells was significantly increased in the presence of the applied DC electric field and resulted in the highest proliferation level, 116.43 ± 4.76%, at 100 μA. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay revealed increased osteogenic activity of cells, necessary for the enhanced bone healing process, as a result of the applied field. The present study indicates the efficiency of conductive CNFs for bone growth and that the electrical sensitivity of the substrate fabricated here might complement the piezoelectric characteristics of bone to further promote and facilitate bone growth and healing.